December 8, 2019

Mission
Making Advent More Meaningful . . .
         Are you fully committed to growing in a relationship with Jesus, or do you have one foot in and one foot out the door?  The honest answer for most of us is somewhere in between.  There is always room to improve in our relationship with the Lord, and we know that Jesus is constantly inviting us closer to him.  He thirsts for our hearts – the hearts of everyone.  During Advent, we have an opportunity for a spiritual “reset.”    In waiting for December 24, invest your relationship with the Lord Jesus.  The following are six suggestions as ways to help each of us grow more deeply in relationship with Christ.  Make the most of this Advent season, and encourage others to do the same.
 

• Go to confession.  Part of preparing our hearts to welcome the Lord means to repent.  See the bulletin or go online to see when confessions are schedule in this and any parish.
• Enter the Word through “lexio divina.”  This is a way to listen to God’s voice through Scripture.  Begin by slowly reading a passage from Scripture.  Meditate on it.  Pray about it.  Consider where the Lord may be calling you in regard to it.  Lastly, take action to where God is leading you.  This can be a real life changer.
• Pray the Saint Andrew Novena.  This is a beautiful prayer that a friend introduced me to over 25 years ago (thanks, Leslie).  Traditionally, this short prayer is prayed 15 times a day from November 30 – the Feast of Saint Andrew - through December 24.  If you would like, you may direct this prayer to a specific intention.  It goes like this:

Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born in Bethlehem, at midnight, in the piercing cold.  In that hour vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayers and grant my desires, (mention your personal intention), through the merits of our savior, Jesus Christ and his blessed Mother.  Amen.

• Attend Daily Mass.  There is no better way prepare for Advent (and heaven) than by attending the daily celebration of Mass.   Spend more time with Jesus in his Eucharistic Presence.  He is the source of real and lasting joy.
• Turn to Mother Mary.  “There is a mysterious correspondence between the waiting of God and that of Mary, the creature ‘full of grace,’ totally transparent to the loving plan of the Most High.  Let us learn from her, the Woman of Advent, how to live our daily actions with a new spirit, with the feeling of profound expectation that only the coming of God can fulfill.

          Pope Francis, First Sunday of Advent, 2010
Lean in to Jesus this Advent.  God’s peace and blessings to you and yours.

Maintenance 
 In Haste, Let us Build Him a Home!        
            Friends, your help is needed.  Do you have, or do you know anyone who has old, aged barn wood siding?  This year the display of the nativity scene will be placed in front of the church at Saint Alphonsus.  A few carpenters have been asked to tackle the construction of a suitable manger.  They’re “on board!”  What is needed now is the barn wood to construct it.  Do you have any aged barn wood or do you have any leads?  Please contact Gail, the parish receptionist at 724.935.1151 or email her at [email protected].
     What a joy to “prepare” for the Lord’s coming by creating a home for Jesus outside of our church and inside our hearts.  Thank you.